


You look like Curse-Breakin' Will

by PrettyPinkCupcake



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Rigel Black Chronicles - murkybluematter
Genre: Fanfiction of Fanfiction, Gen, Ginny finding out what Bill gets up to, Ginny in the Lower Alleys, Inspired by The Rigel Black Chronicles, Rigelverse, Set after the Quidditch World Cup (Futile Facade chapter 4), murkybluematter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-22
Updated: 2020-09-22
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:34:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,398
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26588953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrettyPinkCupcake/pseuds/PrettyPinkCupcake
Summary: Harriet Potter had shrugged off Cora's comment to Ginny at the Quidditch World Cup.  But Ginny hadn't forgotten.Everyone thought that the twins were the only Weasleys who caused trouble, just because they were loud and obvious.Ginny hadn't forgotten what Cora said to her and she was determined to find out more.Set after chapter 4 of Futile Facade.
Comments: 23
Kudos: 76
Collections: Rigel Black Exchange Round 2





	You look like Curse-Breakin' Will

**Author's Note:**

  * For [DistractedDaydreamer](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DistractedDaydreamer/gifts).



> I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it.

“You look like Curse-breakin’ Will,” the knife juggling little blonde haired girl had told her. 

It had been a week since the Quidditch World Cup and Ginny just couldn’t get the blonde girl’s comment out of her head.

Ginny _did_ look like her eldest brother, Bill Weasley. Bill not Will; even if Bill’s official name was William, he always went by Bill. Never Will. Never. Although Bill _was_ a curse breaker...

Could it be that the girl - Cora, Harriet Potter had called her - knew another red headed curse breaker, one who was actually called Will? 

Redheads were not as common as blondes or brunettes, but they weren’t exactly rare either. 

There was a strong family resemblance amongst all the Weasley offspring. For all that people called the Weasleys blood traitors, Weasley magical genetics kept the Weasley red hair and features strong in their family. 

Curse breakers, on the other hand, weren’t common. Red headed curse breakers who shared the Weasley hair and features even less so.

But Bill worked for Gringotts, and most of their curse breaking operations - at least from what Bill told the rest of the family - were based in Egypt.

For all that Harry said that she’d met the girl in Diagon Alley by chance; that Cora was the friend of a friend - the mysterious Leo? - it was clear that Cora was not from a respectable wizarding family. 

Witches and wizards from respectable families didn’t join entertainment troupes or become performers for coin, certainly not at such a young age. 

Despite Harry’s polite deflection of Ginny’s blunt statement that Cora was a gutter rat, it appeared that Cora must be a resident of the Lower Alleys. 

Could Cora know Bill? If so, how? Could Bill be the Curse-breaking’ Will that Cora was referring to?

Ginny was also curious how Book of Gold Heiress Harry Potter could know Cora. Cora had said a Healer had told her that Harry had saved her life, and it was clear from the girl’s fond friendliness for Harry, and Harry’s warm smile in return that they were more than just passing acquaintances. 

But as much as Ginny would like to know about the increasingly mysterious Harry Potter, Harry was not her concern. Not that she could do much to find out more about Harry, anyway.

Bill, on the hand, was her big brother. He _was_ her concern.

The Weasleys might not be a wealthy society family, but they were a close knit family. Weasley was an old name, and Bill took his responsibilities as eldest son seriously. Ginny knew that Bill contributed more than his share of galleons to keep the Weasley household financially afloat.

Ginny didn’t want to see Bill in trouble. Everyone knew the Lower Alleys were trouble, dangerous. If Ginny could help Bill, she would.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - 

Unfortunately for Ginny’s plans, Bill was back in Egypt with Gringotts and wouldn’t return to the Burrow until the winter break. This made communicating with Bill about this rather difficult. Ginny didn’t like owl post; it required her to be more circumspect. She much preferred a blunter, more in-your-face approach.

As she was trying to help Bill, she had to be careful with what she wrote. She was supposed to be getting information so she could look out for Bill; she didn’t want to unintentionally get him in trouble, after all.

From what she could gather, Bill didn’t want Ginny’s help. He was even less forthcoming about Cora and the Lower Alleys than Harry had been, which was very unusual for her straightforward oldest brother. 

If Ginny’s customary blunt approach wasn’t going to work, she’d have to try something else. She might have been sorted into bold and daring Gryffindor, but that didn’t mean that she couldn’t be stealthy when she needed to be.

A chance comment from one of the twins introduced her to the concept of teacher trackers. A trip to Zonkos one Hogsmeade weekend, a quick purchase and an experiment with Luna Lovegood showed that the teacher trackers could be the answer she was looking for with Bill.

The teacher trackers on Luna’s belongings (not to mention select Ravenclaws) also showed that it was not the nargles that were responsible for distributing Luna’s goods apparently randomly across the school. 

Flitwick was quite cranky when Ginny told him what his Ravenclaws were doing to Luna; the points Ginny earned for Gryffindor were a nice bonus on top of seeing her friend reunited with her stuff. 

Plus it laid the foundations amongst her family for Ginny visiting Luna over the winter break. (She would too, her recent experiments had re-established the friendship between the two girls; something that both were happy with). Win-win all round, except for the bullying Ravenclaws, but they didn’t count.

Once at the Burrow for the winter break Ginny slipped the tracker onto Bill’s boots at her earliest opportunity. She was quietly confident that he hadn’t noticed. Indeed, when she surreptitiously checked the tracker from her favourite hiding spot in the orchard, it did appear to be working.

It was towards the end of the break that Bill asked the family at dinner one night if they needed anything from Diagon Alley, as he needed to run a few errands the next day.

The twins asked for Zonkos products. They always did. It was a bit of an ambit claim on their part. 

“Not bloody likely,” replied Bill. The twins had tested various prank products on Bill, Charlie and Percy too many times over the years.

“Language!” Mum interjected, as she took the empty dishes to the kitchen.

“But Bill,” whined Fred, his voice low enough not to be heard from the kitchen, “we’re out of teacher trackers. And dung bombs. How will we avoid getting detention from Filch without them?”

“By behaving?” suggested Percy acerbically. 

“Well, could you pick up some things for us at the apothecary instead?” asked George. 

“Yeah, we’ve recently heard about a new use for dried chimera eyes that we’d like to test out,” added Fred

Ginny had to hand it to the twins. The Zonkos request was a masterful stroke of misdirection. With the relief the elder Weasleys felt at denying them manufactured prank products, no one paid any attention to what they really wanted.

“Give me your list,” grumbled Bill. “And your money. I’ll see what I can do. But I’m going to Diagon early tomorrow morning; if I don’t get your order in time, you’ll miss out.”

Mum returned to the table with two apple pies. That put an end to any further discussion, although Ginny did get an opportunity to ask if she could Floo over to Luna’s sometime the next day.

“Yes, no problems, dear,” Mum said distractedly. George had turned Ron’s hair green and Ron hadn’t realised it yet.

Ginny fist pumped when no one was looking. Tomorrow was her chance to put her plan into action and investigate just how Bill, Hogwarts graduate and Gringotts employee, could know a Lower Alley girl like Cora. 

\- - - - - - - - - - - - 

Ginny waited several minutes after Bill had Flooed to the Leaky Cauldron before ostensibly shouting “The Rookery” into the fireplace. She quickly added more Floo powder, quietly started her destination as the “Leaky Cauldron” and stepped into the Floo.

Stepping out of the fireplace at the Leaky Cauldron, glad that her ruse had worked and that she wasn’t actually at the Rookery, Ginny caught a glimpse of red hair heading through the entrance to Diagon. 

She had to be careful; Ginny didn’t want Bill to catch sight of her, but she didn’t want to lose him. Why, oh why, hadn’t she thought of a disguise? Just as Bill’s red hair was a beacon to her, so too could her red hair be a beacon to him.

A glance at the teacher tracker map showed Bill’s dot in front of her, though steadily moving away. Ginny took a deep breath. This might work, even without a disguise. At least Bill wouldn’t be expecting her.

Diagon Alley was surprisingly crowded; Ginny was surprised to see Bill’s dot moving steadily along Diagon, apparently weaving through the crowd, but not stopping at any of the apothecaries. Maybe he was planning on getting the twins’ order on his way back?

Then Bill’s dot abruptly changed direction. 

Was that _Knockturn Alley_ that Bill had just turned down?!?

In her concern - all Weasley children had been warned from a very young age to never go anywhere near Knockturn Alley and the Lower Alleys, home of thieves and cut-throats, dark wizards, axe murders and other ne’er-do-wells, and those warnings had been ingrained into Ginny’s psyche - Ginny bumped into a young girl, about the same age as the curious Cora, knocking her and her basket of flowers to the ground.

Helping the girl pick up the spilt flowers, Ginny mumbled an apology. She hated apologising, but she knew it was her fault the girl’s flowers had been strewn across the pavers.

“No worries, Miss,” said the girl, as she returned the last of the spilt flowers to her basket. “No harm done.”

Ginny grabbed a handful of the more damaged flowers and proffered a sickle. It was probably more than the flowers were worth, but it was her fault the flowers were damaged, and Ginny well knew that young girls didn’t spend the holidays selling flowers if they didn’t need the money. 

Thanks to their 100 galleon bet with Draco Malfoy at the Quidditch World Cup, not to mention the sales they’d made from the fireworks that Rigel Black had so kindly demonstrated during the first task of the tournament, the twins had been somewhat flush with cash lately. 

Luckily for Ginny, they didn’t mind occasionally sharing their largesse with their little sister. They were more prone to sharing their funds in exchange for testing their prank products, but Ginny could live with that. Ron refused to volunteer, but tested their products regardless, much to his chagrin. At least Ginny was getting paid.

The little flower seller looked at Ginny quizzically after pocketing the sickle. Ginny stared back. “What is it?” she asked bluntly. “Have I got something on my face?”

“Oh no, miss,” the girl replied. “It’s just that you look like someone I know.”

Ginny was tempted to say “Curse-breakin’ Will”, but didn’t. For all that she was part way through her not-really-that-nefarious scheme to track her eldest brother’s movements, she shied away from more direct confirmation. 

“Lots of people have red hair,” she noted instead, before politely nodding goodbye to the girl and heading further down Diagon Alley.

When she reached the infamous Borgin and Burkes at the entrance to Knockturn Alley Ginny stopped to pull out the tracking map again. Bill’s dot was stationery now, but from where she was standing, the only way her reading of the map made any sense was if Bill was in Knockturn Alley.

Ginny bit her lip. For all her plans to follow Bill, for all that she suspected Cora was from the Lower Alleys, there was a part of her that didn’t really think Bill went there, and she wasn’t certain she really wanted to know. 

However, she’d come this far. She wasn’t going to give up now. She forced herself to ignore her mother’s tales (embellished by the twins, of course) about the dark creatures that supposedly called Knockturn and the Lower Alleys home. It was broad daylight. Dark creatures shunned the sun. 

Besides, she was a Weasley. And a Prewett. She’d faced - and overcome - her boggart in Professor Lupin’s class. She wasn’t afraid. 

She knew Occlumency and could defend her mind now. She was pretty good at Defence Against the Dark Arts - Professor Dawlish rarely managed to get a hit on her. And thanks to her brothers, she knew how to dodge (and throw) a punch. 

Most importantly, she wasn’t going to get a better chance to find out what Bill was up to. More often of late Bill had been cagey about his movements, and it wasn’t fair to Luna to pretend to visit her when she wasn’t. (Plus she did actually want to visit Luna).

It was with a deep breath, and no small amount of trepidation (damn the twins for their scary stories) that Ginny crossed the intersection and ventured away from the safety of Diagon into the forbidden territory of Knockturn and the Lower Alleys.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - 

She was still wary, but the further she got down Knockturn Alley, the more Ginny wondered what all the fuss was about. 

Sure, some of the shops looked rather shabby and rundown, and no one was wearing the sort of expensive designer robes common to the witches and wizards in Diagon Alley, (then again, neither was she), but she hadn’t seen anything untoward. 

No vampires (the winter sun was shining weakly through the clouds), no werewolves (the moon was waxing, not full, and it was mid-morning, not night), no hags or ruffians menacing shoppers, just normal people going about their everyday, ordinary, business. 

Perhaps there were more children (pre-Hogwarts age) about, but nothing unusual. The kids did seem a bit preoccupied and careless about their movements; Ginny only just managed to avoid being knocked over by the little brats more than once. 

For some strange reason they seemed almost determined to bump into her. Ginny wasn’t having any of that. She was good at dodging people; she supposed she had her brothers to thank for that. 

Looking down the alley and the tracking map she tried to figure out where Bill might be. She didn’t think he was moving, but because she was, it was hard to tell. The tracking map was really very basic, giving little more than a rough indication of distance and direction.

One of the shops up ahead looked like an apothecary, so perhaps Bill was getting the twins’ order after all. 

Maybe Knockturn Alley apothecaries were cheaper than those on the main shopping strip. That made sense. Bill _was_ always careful with his galleons.

The sign above the store said _The Serpent’s Storeroom_ \- and the front of the shop (including somewhat ironically, a boarded up window), was plastered with lurid posters advertising “Potter’s Portable Protection Potion”. 

In the first task of the tournament Ginny had watched Rigel Black use a potion to contain a werewolf; post-task discussions in the Gryffindor Common room had revealed the potion to be an invention of Rigel’s cousin, Harry Potter. 

Rigel’s father, Harry’s father and Professor Lupin were famous for their Marauder prank products. She’d overheard Sirius Black giving the twins advice about selling prank products at Sirius’s party. 

Of course Harry’s family would help her distribute her potions. That suggested an answer to Ginny’s questions about Harry Potter and how she met Cora. 

Ginny was so caught up in solving this part of the puzzle that she almost missed the beacon of bright red hair emerging from the apothecary. She rapidly ducked behind her teacher tracker map, hoping against hope that Bill hadn’t seen her. 

Bill’s mind must have been on other things, as he paid her no attention, heading off deeper into the Alleys rather than returning to Diagon. 

Damnit. As much as Ginny didn’t want to venture further from Diagon, she still didn’t know what Bill was up to. And she wanted answers. 

Gritting her teeth, Ginny carefully followed Bill from a distance. 

\- - - - - - - - - - - - 

Bill had been inside the inn - the Dancing Phoenix, the sign said - for what seemed like hours. In truth Ginny suspected that it was only fifteen minutes, certainly not more than half an hour, but she couldn’t use her magic outside of school to conjure up a tempus to check. 

Ginny wasn’t sure exactly how the Trace worked, but she knew that it was not a smart move to test it now. Getting caught for using magic out of school? Her parents wouldn’t be pleased. Getting caught using magic out of school whilst in the forbidden Lower Alleys? That was several additional magnitudes of parental displeasure. She wasn’t going to risk it.

It was still too early for lunch - even without the tempus charm Ginny could tell that much - but there had been a steady stream of people entering the inn. 

She attached herself to the end of one of the larger groups and quietly slipped inside, carefully staying at the back of the room as she surveyed the inn.

The inn was considerably bigger on the inside than the outside, but what else should she expect from a wizarding inn, even one in the Lower Alleys? 

Or was that especially in the Lower Alleys? Unlike Ottery St Catchpole, where wizarding houses were scattered amongst a larger muggle population, the Lower Alleys were all magical. No muggles here.

The ground floor comprised scattered collections of comfy looking chairs surrounding coffee tables, as well as a large number of dining tables and chairs, with booths at the edges of the room. 

Ginny was glad she’d come inside; waiting outside in the cold winter sun really wasn’t much fun, and inside the Dancing Phoenix it was warm and cozy. Fairly quiet, too, for all that she’d seen quite a number of people entering. She wondered where they’d all gone. She couldn’t see Bill anywhere. 

Then she heard a roar, the sound of people cheering and clapping, from … beyond the kitchens? Maybe there was a courtyard or a beer garden out the back. 

Carefully, surreptitiously, but nevertheless still trying to look like she was not out of place and not a kid sneaking where only adults should be, Ginny crept towards the door where the noise was coming from. The door did lead to the kitchens, but also to a passageway to a courtyard out the back.

No one paid her any attention as she entered the courtyard. The crowd - and there was quite a crowd - was all too focused on the pair free dueling in the middle of the sunny courtyard. 

The duelers were young and graceful, so much so that their performance - and it was a performance, an exhibition of skill - resembled a complicated dance rather than a fight. 

Spellwork flashed from their wands, to be dodged, shielded or batted away with the knives each was holding. 

Ginny watched them, mesmerised, until she realised…

“Bill!” she blurted out loudly. Too loudly; the crowd turned to stare at Ginny. 

“You’re free dueling!”

The redheaded duelist swore abruptly as he lost his concentration and almost stepped into his opponent’s stunning spell. 

“Ginny?” 

His opponent - a graceful brown haired youth with hazel eyes and amazingly fast reflexes - rapidly pulled back and stopped his attack.

“Alright folks,” the brown haired youth said loudly and authoritatively, calmly speaking to the crowd with not even a hint of breathlessness in his voice to suggest that he’d been free dueling only seconds earlier. 

“The show’s over for now. We’ll take a break and maybe start up again later. Anyone who wants a practice bout, see Marek or Aled.”

The crowd muttered at seeing their entertainment cut short, but there was no rancour, only good natured grumbling as they slowly filed out of the courtyard and back into the main part of the inn. 

Leaving Ginny, Bill, and Bill’s free dueling opponent, the only people in the courtyard. 

Bill, exhausted from his duel, did not look pleased. His opponent (friend?) looked amused. 

Ginny gulped, then figured out offense was the best defence, confronting Bill before he could confront her. 

“What the hell Bill?! You’re free dueling! Don’t you know that’s illegal? And in the Lower Alleys?! What would Dad say if he found out? And Mum?”

Sadly for Ginny her performance was ruined by the increasingly shrill note in her voice. Stupid girl voice, she thought. 

Bill just stared at her, still somewhat flabbergasted. Offense definitely was the best defence, Ginny thought smugly. Bill was speechless. 

His opponent laughed. “A friend of yours, Will?” he asked. 

“My sister,” Bill replied, glaring at Ginny. “My _baby_ sister. Your highness, this is Ginny. Ginny, who should be safely at home, or at her friend Luna’s, and not roaming the Lower Alleys.”

“A pleasure to meet you, Ginny. I’m Lionel Hurst, but my friends call me Leo,” he said with a smile and a bow. “Welcome to the Dancing Phoenix and the Lower Alleys.”

“A pleasure to meet you too, Leo,” replied Ginny, a coquettish touch to her voice, as she gave Leo (he really was rather handsome, for all that he was rather too much older than her, and a denizen of the Lower Alleys too boot), one of the looks she’d been practicing after her conversation with Harry Potter at the Quidditch World Cup. 

Leo smiled at her. “You remind me of Harry.” Harry? Did Leo know Harry? Ah. Could this be the Leo who was a mutual friend of Harry and Cora? Cora’s not-pimp Leo?

“Not a bad effort. But you really should have a chat with Rispah. She can give you some good tips.” 

Ginny was slightly stunned. That was _not_ the response she intended. Still, she wasn’t one to reject advice; if she could (if Bill didn’t drag her home immediately in a fit of pique), she would indeed have a chat with this Rispah. 

Leo glanced at Bill. “Shame about the match. You were doing so well. That new knife really works for you. You’d do well in the next tournament, I think. 

“I’d better catch up with the others, make sure there are no grudge matches later today. I’m sure I’ll see you again, Ginny, Will.” With that Leo strode out of the courtyard leaving Ginny to face Bill. Alone. 

“So, Ginny,” Bill said angrily. “Would you like to explain what you’re doing, by _yourself_ , in the _Lower Alleys_?”

The tone of his voice made it clear that now was not the time for dissembling. 

“I was worried about you,” she said weakly. “That knife juggler at the Quidditch World Cup, Cora, she said I looked like Curse-Breakin’ Will. That’s you, isn’t it? And it was clear she was from the Lower Alleys - why else would a kid like her be juggling for coin? - but she knew Harry, and you. And then that flower seller thought I looked familiar too. Seems like everyone here knows you. I just wanted to make sure that you were okay. After all, you’re always looking out for us, so why shouldn’t I look out for you? Everyone says the Lower Alleys are dangerous.” 

After her babbled explanation Ginny suddenly became aware that her reasoning didn’t really make sense. Not even to her.

“Too bloody curious for your own good,” Bill said. Curiosity. Well, that might explain it better.

“Just please tell me the twins didn’t put you up to this. I don’t think Leo would ever forgive me if I was responsible for letting them loose in the Lower Alleys.” 

Ginny shook her head. “No. No one knows about this. Well, except maybe Luna, but I don’t think she was really listening when I tried to explain why I might need to pretend to visit her. And I bought my own teacher trackers rather than borrowing them from the twins.”

Bill snorted. He was still angry, but by now he sounded resigned more than anything else. 

“I don’t suppose there’s much I can do to you, short of telling Mum and Dad about your trip here today. They’d give you a right bollocking - which you undoubtedly deserve,” he said, glaring at her, “and probably ground you, but I’m not sure that will really change anything. 

“Besides,” he said, talking more to himself than Ginny now, “I don’t really want to explain why I was in the Alleys. But the Alleys aren’t as dangerous as Mum and Dad make out. At least not if you’re careful.”

“Thanks Bill. I knew you were my favourite brother for a reason,” she joked. Or tried to. Unfortunately it didn’t raise a smile on Bill’s face.

“So why do you come to the Alleys?” Ginny asked seriously, while trying to put a touch of unicorn faced innocence into her voice. 

Bill glared at her. Nope, that one didn’t work. Ginny might make a point of talking to Leo’s friend Rispah after all. 

But he answered her anyway. “I like the Alleys,” he said. “There’s always a need for a qualified curse breaker if you’re willing not to ask too many questions, and quite frankly our parents are dreadful with money. What extra I make here helps the Weasley family budget quite a bit.

“But most importantly, I like the people here and the freedom to be myself. 

“People here judge me on my merits, not those of my family. I’m just Will, a curse breaker. I’m good at that and it’s what I’m known for. 

“I’m part of the community here, I pay my tithe, help my friends, and no one cares about whether or not great-great-grandmother Mary was a muggle. 

“I don’t have to worry about being the Heir to the blood traitor Weasley family. I don’t have to worry about Pureblood politics, Dumbledore, Albright, Riddle, or any of the others. 

“And I like free dueling. It’s fun. Exhilarating. Not bound by the stuffy rules of formal Pureblood dueling. ” 

They were both silent, thinking. Ginny could understand. Her bluntness was one way she ignored the stifling social rules that bound them.

“I don’t suppose you could teach me to free duel?” Ginny asked. 

Bill just looked at her. And then he laughed. 

“Why not? I know Leo teaches Harry.”

“Harry? What? Harry Potter free duels?!? But … her father is the Head Auror!”

“What happens in the alleys stays in the alleys. Leo entered Harry in last summer’s free dueling tournament. She even beat a goblin, or so one of my coworkers told me. I was in Egypt for work or I might have entered.”

Ginny was gobsmacked. “Do you think her cousin Rigel knows?”

“Rigel Black? I’d say so. I watched the dueling task on one of those giant mirrors. I’m pretty certain Rigel’s had some experience with free dueling. I reckon that’s how he knew what to do when faced with your friend Antiope and her sword.”

Ginny blushed. Antiope. She wondered what Antiope would think - or even if she knew - of the Lower Alleys.

“Come on,” said Bill. “Come inside and I’ll introduce you to my friends and teach you about the alleys…”


End file.
